British businessman Sir Richard Branson had made a bid to purchase the Honda F1 Team from the Honda Motor Company but had his offer rejected by the Honda board.
In the Disney + documentary Brawn: The Impossible Formula One Story produced by Keanu Reeves, it is revealed that the founder and CEO of the Virgin Group had offered above Honda’s asking price for the team but that Ross Brawn had a better vision for the teams future.
On the weekend of the opening race of the 2009 Formula One season in Melbourne, a deal was struck between Ross Brawn and Rochard Branson that would see Brawn GP sponsored by the Virgin Group.
While he didn’t get to own the team, the sponsorship deal gave Branson a taste of Formula One success with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello coming home with a team 1-2.
The Virgin Group left Brawn GP at the end of the 2009 F1 season and entered Formula One as Virgin Racing with Manor Motorsports along with the HRT Grand Prix team and Caterham F1 Team.